


Show The Symbol On Your Chest

by StarSpangledBucky



Series: StarkSpangledWinter/Stuckony/Winterironshield [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 1940's Movies, Arguing, Arrangements, Captain America collection, Childhood Memories, Clint Is A Nosy Shit, Confessions, Date Arrangement, Emotional, F/M, Fanboy Phil Coulson, Fanboy Tony, Feelings, First Kiss, First Meetings, Flashbacks, Fluff, Hero Worship, House Warming, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Memories, Men Crying, Mentions of Bucky and Peggy, Mentions of Character Death, Moving On, Nick Fury Knows All, Nick Fury Swears, Nick Fury is Not Amused, Past, Past Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Resolvement, Secret Admirer, Secret Crush, Secret Past Relationship, Secrets, Snarky Jarvis, Steve Feels, Steve Rogers and the 21st Century, Steve Tells Of The Difficulties Of Homosexuality In The 1940's, Swearing, Tag Team Natasha and Clint, Tension, Tony Being Tony, Tony Feels, Tony Freaks Out, Tony's A Bit Cute When He Gets All Excited Talking About Cap, casablanca - Freeform, clint is a little shit, stories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-06
Updated: 2015-04-06
Packaged: 2018-03-21 12:45:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3692808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarSpangledBucky/pseuds/StarSpangledBucky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When news comes around that Steve Rogers (Captain America) will be moving into Stark Tower, it brings back most of Tony's childhood memories. Tensions flare when Steve arrives when Tony thinks embarrassing himself would be the worst thing in the world. Clint finds his room stashed with Captain America merchandise, and Steve happens to be with him. At the end of the next night, some thoughts and feelings are shared. And with that, a positive outcome in tow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Show The Symbol On Your Chest

**Author's Note:**

> I made it Mature for the swearing and because of the mentions of Bucky's death. Also I've taken the small party from the Age of Ultron trailer (which I'm sure most of you have seen - spoilers) and I have changed it up a bit, I mean I think I took some dialogue out it and also the part where they start trying to move Mjolnir. And obviously I did leave out the gatecrasher Ultron coming in to spoil it all xD. But I wouldn't advise that you read this if you haven't seen the trailer yet. Maybe bookmark this and wait until you see the movie :) Enjoy.

Stark Tower would have been quiet if Tony hadn't been down in the basement blaring AC/DC's  _'Shook Me All Night Long'_  at full volume. Natasha and Clint were down in the training room, and even they could hear the faint rumbles of the bass guitar and the heavy drum beats. Thor was up on the main floor with Bruce watching TV, where they could feel the vibrations trembling on the floor. They'd all gotten used to it by now, because that meant Tony was working and that he didn't want to be disturbed.

It meant that they wouldn't get their heads bitten off if they went to check on him because they knew not to step foot near the basement. The four of them knew already about the new guest that would be joining them at Stark Tower. Except for the actual  _owner_  of said tower. Tony had no idea about what was going to be thrust upon him. He was making repairs on a suit, a screwdriver between his mouth as he wiped grease off his hands when  _JARVIS_  suddenly shut off his music. The brunette frowned as he looked up from his workbench, dropping the screwdriver from his mouth.

"Hey,  _JARVIS_  buddy...what gives?" he asked.

"Sir, Director Nick Fury is on the line, he says it's urgent," the AI responded.

"Oh boy," Tony groaned, wiping his greasy hands again. "Fine, put Cap'n Fury up on a screen," he added.

"Certainly sir,"  _JARVIS_  replied.

"Stark," Fury greeted, his face showing up on a blue screen.

"Popeye," the brunette retorted.

"No time for games Stark. I have something important to tell you," Fury grunted.

"Look, you say that every time and it isn't  _actually_  as important as you make it sound," Tony laughed, swivelling his chair around to type something onto a tablet.

"Captain America was found just over a month ago, frozen in ice. We've kept him here at S.H.I.E.L.D during that time. Now he's coming to join you five, as an Avenger, in exactly two hours. Give me one good reason why that  _isn't_  important," Fury answered.

Tony froze, his finger hoovering over the tablet he had as his eyes went blank. He didn't know if he'd heard that right, but all that was going through his mind at that moment was-

"Oh crap," he whispered.

He spun around in his chair, looking back at the screen where Fury still stood, clearly waiting for Tony to say something. His mind was reeling,  _the_  Captain America was here, in Manhattan, alive. Tony wouldn't openly admit it, but he'd been a fan of Captain America ever since he was a kid, ever since Howard told him about how he spent some time with him. The brunette was jealous of Howard for that one reason. Tony would have killed to meet Captain America as a kid. But then he'd heard about Steve plunging into the Atlantic and never being found again. Well, at least until now. Tony even had a shield prototype sitting in the back corner of his lab, made from his own materials, not from Vibranium of course.  _Hell_ , Tony still had some Captain America merchandise stashed away somewhere. But he'd never opened that door, not for a long time now.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? I could have had a room properly arranged for him. I could have prepared. I could have-" Tony paused. "Oh shit, I gotta' lock that room," he breathed out, getting up from his chair. "You tell me a legend, a real hero is actually still alive and then dump it on me that he's moving in here. To  _my_  tower! This is too much!" Tony babbled.

"You sound awfully panicked for someone who didn't like hearing about Captain America twenty-four seven," Fury issued.

Tony blanched.  _You and your big mouth_  he thought.

"Yeah well, dad was always saying  _'Captain America this'_  or _'Captain America that'_ , I got tired of it. He gave a shit about Captain America, but he never gave a shit about me," Tony mused, lying through his teeth about how he didn't like hearing about Steve.

If anything, he loved hearing about Steve a little too much.  _I am such an idiot, why didn't I see this coming? But why would I? Everybody thought Captain Spangly Pants was buried in the ice, dead and gone. But he's living and breathing our air_  he thought. Tony let out a  _deep_  breath, running his hands through his hair as Fury watched on with a knowing smile. It wasn't hard to tell sometimes when Tony was freaking out internally.

"How did you manage to keep it away from the press?" he asked.

"S.H.I.E.L.D always has a way," Nick sighed irritably.

 _Of course why didn't I think of that_  Tony thought.

"Anyway, I trust you'll make him feel welcome. None of your stupid ass motherfuckin' snark. He's just found out he's stepped into the twenty-first century and things are a little different. I had to chase him through Manhattan when he ran from our makeshift room we set up for him to make it feel like the forties again. The last thing he needs is to be in an uncomfortable environment," Fury drawled.

"Understood," Tony replied.

It's all he could manage, it's all he could force out as his throat clenched and un-clenched at each unsteady breath he took. Captain  _fucking_  America was going to be living under his roof. And Tony didn't know how to go about it. Once the screen had disappeared, Tony let himself fall against his workbench, his fingers curled around the edge of it.

"Sir, if I might interrupt, perhaps you should worry about getting Captain Rogers room ready,"  _JARVIS_  spoke.

"Not helping  _J_ ," Tony huffed.

But he was right, the spare rooms Tony had were basically full of junk, but it was Tony's junk, and some of it was Thor's. Which only left the room down the hall from Tony's room free for anyone to use.  _Oh fuck_  he thought. That room had bits and pieces of Captain America junk everywhere and Tony felt his face redden with shame. He broke into a run as he slammed the basement door behind him and jogged up the stairs to the elevator.

" _J_ , get me to the main floor as quick as you can," he panted, feeling out of breath already.

He was panicking, Tony Stark was panicking about his childhood hero. But he couldn't blow his cover, he'd feel embarrassed and annoyed. He'd feel annoyed that he was swooning over someone who would stare at him like he had three heads. But Steve wasn't just anyone. Steve was Tony's stupid little crush even if he didn't want to admit it, even if he didn't want to admit that he did see the super soldier as an attractive, strong and brave-

"Oh fuck me," Tony groaned, turning around as he lightly slammed his head on the elevator wall.

"Tony?" a voice spoke.

The brunette lifted his head and saw Clint and Natasha standing in the open doorway of the elevator. Tony felt the blush creeping up his neck but held it at bay as he straightened himself up. He hadn't even realized the elevator had stopped.

"Stark, are you alright? You look a little pale," Clint issued.

"I'm fine, I just...uh-shit. I just got a call from Fury and he said Captain America is moving in here. I mean what are the odds huh? Captain America from the god damn forties, the man my dad knew. Weird," Tony breathed out.

Natasha and Clint exchanged glances.

"We know," Natasha replied, stepping into the elevator, with Clint close behind.

"You know! Who else knows!" Tony exclaimed.

"Thor and Bruce," Clint answered.

"Oh for the love of-" he paused, shaking his head as he looked down at the ground.

"Tony will you look at yourself. You look and sound like a love sick puppy," Clint snorted.

"I am  _not_  a love sick puppy. I'm just annoyed," Tony grumbled.

"Why would you be annoyed at Captain America coming here?" Natasha questioned.

"It's because his dad Howard Stark always talked about him and now Tony kind of hates the sound of his name," the brunette mused.

"Oh," Natasha breathed out. "Jeez, I thought you would have been thrilled Tony," she added.

"Just...stop," Tony sighed.

They stopped on the main floor and Tony barged into the room as he swept past Thor and Bruce who seemed too engrossed in the TV. Clint and Natasha shrugged it off as they went to join the two, leaving Tony to his woes. Tony made his way down the hallway and stopped by a room that he knew was stored with the Captain America merchandise.

" _JARVIS_  can I get you to lock this door and only allow myself inside," he ordered.

"Right away sir," the AI answered.

Tony sighed with relief as he made his way down to his room, before turning left and heading down a short hallway. He opened the door and flicked the light on, seeing dust particles floating in the room.

"Dammit,  _J_  can we vent this place out?" Tony asked, covering his mouth as he went over to the window and pushed it open. "Don't really want Cap catching anything," he added, his voice muffled by his sleeve.

"Sir, from all we know about Captain Rogers, he cannot exactly catch anything due to his super-serum,"  _JARVIS_  replied.

"Well son of a bitch," Tony whispered. "So...no liver failure or anything if he drinks a lot?" he queried.

"The Captain cannot get drunk, sir," _JARVIS_  continued.

"Are you kidding me? Where's the fun in that? Then again...he's probably still old fashioned and- _ah_ -whatever," the brunette sighed, waving his hand around.

He pulled open the wardrobe doors and stared at the empty shelves, a few coat hangers laying on the floor. Tony sighed and picked them up as he hung them on the metal pole, before closing the doors.

"We don't even have any fucking bed sheets," he grunted. "Some host you are Tony," he added.

The brunette looked around the room again and saw how bare and average it was. This wasn't exactly how he wanted to welcome his childhood hero into Stark Tower.  _Childhood hero, Jesus Tony you do sound like a loved up school girl_  he thought, slapping his forehead against his palm. He walked out of the room and back down the hallway to his room, where he stripped out of his greasy clothing and grabbed fresh clothes. Tony gave his hands a quick wash to get the grease off his fingers in the sink and slicked his hair back with some water. He dressed quickly and shoved on some shoes, before grabbing his wallet, car keys and his favourite jacket.

"God why am I doing his, everybody is going to catch on," he mumbled.

 _Think Tony think, you're a genius and all_  he thought.

"I'll tell them I'm going out for Shawarma. It'll be time for dinner then anyway," he mused.

Tony closed his bedroom door and made his way back down the hallway. Natasha's eyes fell on him and she raised a questioning eyebrow. The brunette simply pushed his sunglasses down over his eyes and kept walking.

"Where are you going friend Stark?" Thor spoke suddenly.

 _Damn_  Tony thought.

"I'm going to go and buy some Shawarma, it's all on me," he answered.

Natasha shifted then, seeming suspicious at the casual tone in Tony's voice.

"Are you really?" she asked.

"Yes, I won't be back for say an hour or so, I have another errand to run beforehand," Tony replied.

Silence rang out in the room for a moment.

"Alright," Natasha chimed, turning back to the TV.

Tony sighed with relief again and sprinted for the elevator, jamming his finger on the button to close the door quicker. He lent against the wall and ran a hand through his hair, letting out a deep breath.  _You can do this Tony, it's just Captain America_  he told himself.

"Just Captain America," he scoffed, scuffing his shoe on the floor.

Maybe he was somewhat overreacting about this. But he didn't want to put on a bad impression for when Steve arrived. Tony knew he probably would though, he tended to mess up, even when he didn't mean to. He'd have to wait until the time came, only then would he know if Captain America was who Howard said he really was.

* * *

The journey was long, far too long for Steve at that very moment. Phil Coulson stood near him as he talked to the pilots of the jet. He'd been out of the ice for a month but he still hadn't come to terms with the dramatic changes in the world.  _Seventy years_  he thought. The blonde let out a hefty sigh as he looked down at some files he'd been given. They were files on everyone he would be around in Stark Tower. The file for Thor caught his attention for a while, even though it was only brief information, he felt like his brain would implode knowing that Thor was an Asgardian god. He read through Clint, Natasha and Bruce's files briefly, knowing then and now not to make Bruce angry under any circumstance. Then there was Tony's, that gained his attention for a long... _long_  time.  _Howard Stark's kid huh?_  he thought, scanning his eyes over the picture. He’d already heard of Howard and Maria Stark’s tragic passing.

"Hardly looks anything like Howard," he whispered.

"Stark looked more like his mother," a voice interjected.

Steve looked up and saw that Phil had himself turned towards him now, his hand grasped on a handle above him. The blonde smiled softly and looked back down at the files, there was a lot of information on Tony. Things like his kidnapping in Afghanistan, how he created the arc reactor, his PTSD. Steve would know a thing or two about that. He put the file down, thinking that he'd read enough as he looked back up at Phil.

"Does Mr Stark know I'm arriving?" he asked.

"Everybody knows, Miss Romanov, Dr Banner, Thor and Mr Barton. Stark was the last to know, Director Fury felt it best that way," Phil answered.

"I see," Steve replied.

"It's a real honour having you aboard Captain," Phil mused. "I uh-watched you while you were sleeping," he added.

The super soldier stared for a moment, before looking away.  _Well this is awkward_  he thought.

"Can I sign those vintage trading cards for you?" Steve questioned.

"How did you-" Phil paused.

"Nick...told me a few things," the blonde

"Of course he did," the older man chuckled, reaching into his pocket.

"Gotta' pen?" Steve asked.

Phil handed him the cards and a pen as he turned back to the front of the jet, lifting his fingers up to an earpiece.

"ETA five minutes," he spoke.

He would have arrived to Stark Tower in some casual clothing, but Steve felt comfortable in his suit for the time being. He'd noticed the modifications done to it, it wasn't much but his old suit screwed basically. Plus, he figured S.H.I.E.L.D or a _god damn_  museum might have wanted to keep an epic piece of history. He didn't exactly come with anything either, except, S.H.I.E.L.D had some things of his, Howard had kept them for a while but they'd gotten their hands on it afterwards. Steve sighed as he scribbled his signature over the last two cards, before shuffling them back into a neat pile. Phil turned around at that exact moment and Steve held the guards out to him, smiling kindly.

"Thank you, Captain," Phil chimed.

"No problem," Steve replied.

"ETA two minutes," Phil issued, turning back for the third time.

Steve stood then and picked up his bag, with the little that he had as he held onto the bar above him. To say Steve was nervous was an understatement, he was panicking as much as he did when he'd woken up from the ice. He wasn't even sure he'd fit in at all, the people he was meeting they were... _different_. They had different views, morals and opinions. All Steve had was everything he knew from back in the forties and a small handful of what was going on in the modern world. As the jet started to descend, Steve's stomach twisted in knots as he tried to calm himself down.  _Here goes nothin'_  he thought. He looked out the front of the jet and saw his welcome party, minus Tony, which already made him feel a little on edge.

"Hm, I was hoping Stark would have at least shown up," Phil muttered.

The hatch opened at the back as Steve turned around and felt the cool air whip over him. Phil smiled and patted him gently on the shoulder, before nudging him forward.

"They don't bite," he joked.

Steve had to laugh, slightly. He wandered down the ramp and looked out at the view of the city.  _No wonder Stark picked this spot_  he thought. It was strange to see how much Manhattan had evolved, but Steve was here now, he had to try and get to grips with the  _'now'_  side of things.

"Captain Rogers," Natasha greeted.

The blonde turned around and faced Natasha, managing a small smile of his own.

"Ma'am," he replied.

And being the polite man that he is and always was, he kissed her on either cheek, while receiving two back from Natasha herself. He wasn't exactly nervous around women anymore, what with Peggy and all giving him that slight boost of confidence. But he had a bigger secret than that hiding in his history.

"It's nice to finally meet you," she mused.

"You too Miss Romanov," Steve answered.

He moved onto Bruce, who looked edgy as he always did. But he held his hand out to Steve and they shook hands briefly.

"Dr Banner," Steve greeted.

"Captain Rogers," Bruce replied.

Clint was next as he exchanged a nod with Steve, before holding his hand out. His grip was firm and Steve had to smile, because his grip was very much the same.

"Mr Barton," he spoke.

"Please, just call me Clint, it's great to meet you Rogers," the brunette issued.

Steve gave him a small nod as he now faced Thor who had the biggest, brightest smile out of all of them.

"Captain! It is a pleasure to meet you!" he boomed, holding his hand out.

"So you're Thor then?" Steve questioned.

"The one and only my friend," Thor chuckled.

They shook hands and Thor suddenly pulled Steve in as he wrapped his free arm around the blonde and patted his back.  _Oh jeez_  Steve thought.

"Thor's like an over excited puppy. You'll get used to him," Clint laughed.

"Thanks for the heads up," Steve choked out, still held tight in Thor's grasp.

"Are you sure you're going to survive with this lot Steve?" Phil interjected.

"Oh he'll be fine, I'll look after him," Natasha answered.

Phil nodded as he walked back up the ramp and pressed the red button to close it, giving the group a small wave before he disappeared. Thor had let Steve out of his grasp then as he started to make his way back inside the tower. Bruce and Clint followed Thor while Natasha stayed behind with Steve.

"Come on in Cap, may as well give you the grand tour since your main host doesn't seem to want to make an appearance," she chimed.

They were making their way inside, Natasha casually swinging her arms back and forth. Steve could tell she was trying to think of something to say. She probably had a lot of questions.

"So, Steve...what do you like in a woman? Should I be your wingman, try and find you a date?" she asked.

That certainly wasn't a question Steve expected.

"Miss Romanov, I'm not looking for anybody," he responded.

"Or...you already have someone in mind," Natasha teased, nudging Steve's arm.

Steve felt a blush creep up his neck. He maybe,  _just maybe_  had a few secrets he didn't want to talk about.

"Thank you for your concern Natasha, but I think I can handle it," he mused.

"Fair enough," Natasha chimed, as she pushed the sliding door open to the main floor.

When they stepped inside, Steve's eyes widened a fraction. The space was as wide as it was long, with expensive looking furniture and all kinds of luxuries in a sense. Steve looked around in amazement, all the tech, the panels on the walls, the lines of scotch bottles on the shelves of a bar. _I wonder what the panels are for_  he thought.

"Welcome to Stark Tower, Captain Rogers,"  _JARVIS_  spoke.

Steve jumped as he turned around, frantically looking for the source of the noise.

"What was that?" he asked.

"That's _JARVIS_ , he's Tony's AI," Clint answered.

"Uh, what's an AI?" Steve queried.

Clint raised an eyebrow.

"Oh! Right...forties and all...uh, AI means artificial intelligence," he explained.

"Gosh darn it, I don't even understand that," Steve whispered.

Natasha spluttered a laugh, covering her mouth with her hand.

"He said gosh darn it, that's so...oh nevermind," she snickered, wandering over to the sofa as she sat down.

"That's so...old fashioned?" Clint issued.

Steve frowned.

"No offence buddy, none at all, we just don't use that slang here anymore," Clint mumbled.

"I figured," Steve grunted.

"Are you all picking on our guest already?" a voice asked, the sound echoing up the hallway.

Their eyes fell on Tony, who appeared in the doorway of the hall, a scotch in his hand, making a grand entrance as always. He fixed his gaze on Steve, who stared straight back at him, his lips parting slightly.  _Holy crap he's better looking in person_  Tony thought. Steve blinked twice, feeling his cheeks heat up.  _Darn it, Howard did good_  he thought. Clint looked between the pair and then smirked over at Natasha.

"That was more than six seconds! It's love!" he exclaimed.

"Clint shut the hell up!" Natasha scolded, throwing a pillow at him.

Tony took a swig of his scotch and nodded towards Steve.

"Mr Stark," the blonde spoke.

"Captain," Tony replied.

Steve swallowed the lump in his throat. The way Tony said  _Captain_ , it certainly rolled off his tongue in a way that made the blonde feel strange.

"Don't mind Clint, he's the joker in the house," Tony mused.

"I gathered that," Steve answered.

The brunette's mouth curved at the corner. He was everything he imagined Captain America to be.  _Mayday...Stark down_  he thought. Not only that, Steve looked extremely awkward standing in the middle of the room, the light from the sun behind him putting a bright aura around him. Tony tried to hold back his laugh, biting the inside of his cheek.

"Cap, why don't I show you your room, it'll settle you in then," he offered.

"Yeah, sure," Steve replied, making his way over to Tony.

Tony smiled and turned around as he started to make his way down the hallway. Steve was close behind him, keeping his eyes anywhere but on Tony. He didn't think meeting Howard Stark's son would feel so awkward. The blonde didn't know what to say, what to do. He felt like an alien to say the least.

"So, Steve, it must have been a shock for you to wake up and be in a completely different era," Tony hummed, leading him down the small hallway.

"Uh yeah. It was a real shock," Steve mused. "I didn't exactly expect to be in the presence of Howard Stark's son either," he added.

The brunette tensed at that, feeling his hand grip tightly on the handle of the door. It didn't go unnoticed by Steve.

"Sorry I didn't mean-" he paused.

"Save it," Tony bit back, cursing at himself for sounding a little harsh. "He used to talk about you all the time.  _‘Steve this’_  and  _‘Steve that’_. Sounded like he had a big fucking crush on you," he snorted, opening the bedroom door.

"I-" Steve choked, feeling his cheeks heat up.

He knew a little about how people's standards had changed on homosexuality, but not a lot. Steve knew he probably should, for future reference.

"This was the only room left. Most of the other spares are filled with my junk, or Thor's. So, you're just down the hallway from me. I hope that's not going to be a problem," Tony spoke.

"No...not at all," Steve replied.

Tony smiled like a  _fucking_  idiot and then cursed at himself.

"I tried to make it as homely as possible," he continued, stepping into the room.

Steve followed, his gaze searching every inch of the room.

"It isn't much, but...you can decorate it how you like," Tony added.

The walls were a light chocolate brown colour, the carpet caramel coloured. Steve's eyes fell on the bed that looked comfortable as anything. The blonde had never known what a proper bed felt like. It's sheets were brown with a bit of red thrown in, with grey pillows. There were lamps beside the bed and there was a desk pushed into the corner, but it looked inviting. Steve turned around and opened the wardrobe, his eyes falling on a familiar uniform, his old uniform.

Is that-" he paused, reaching out to touch the fabric.

"S.H.I.E.L.D found it in some of my dad's stash. I don't know why he kept it, maybe he just thought it'd get kept for history purposes sooner or later. The  _great_  Captain America," Tony laughed, sarcastically waving his hands in an excited way.

Steve couldn't tell if he was actually being sarcastic or not, the way he said it sounded fair too genuine. He turned around and placed his bag on the bed, his gaze falling on the view outside his window.

"If you need anything, just ask _JARVIS_. Or myself, or one of the others," Tony issued, as he inched away to the door.

"Tony," Steve replied, turning to face him.

"Uh yeah?" Tony hummed.

"This is great, the room. It's enough for me. Thank you," the blonde mused.

"No problem Captain," the brunette answered.

"Please, just call me Steve when we're not on duty," Steve murmured.

"Sure thing," Tony replied.

Steve turned back to his bag and unzipped it, pulling out a photo frame with two photographs inside it. Tony was going to leave the room, but the photographs caught his eye as he stepped forward. He picked it up and saw Steve with his old Captain America suit, and a brunette standing beside him, smiles on their faces.

"Who's this guy?" he questioned.

"Bucky," Steve answered, without even giving any thought to his answer.

"Hmm, he's cute," Tony mumbled.

The blonde's eyebrows knitted together as he glanced at Tony from the corner of his eye.  _Did he just call Bucky cute?_ he thought.

"Shouldn't you not say things like that?" he queried.

"What?" the brunette breathed out. "Jeez, Steve you have a lot to learn. Times have changed. Men walk hand in hand with other men, women walk hand in hand with other women now. They have relationships, there's even same-sex marriage in some states," Tony explained.

Steve blushed out of embarrassment.

"Sorry, just we-" he paused.

"Yeah I know. It was frowned upon back then and you-" Tony choked, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. "I'm not going to say it, I don't think it was right," he added.

"I didn't either," Steve replied.

"Oh?" Tony breathed out.

The super soldier sighed and started taking more things out of his bag.

"Bucky and I. We had our moments," he confessed.

"Wha-oh..." Tony whispered.

 _I fucking knew it!_  he thought.

"It was really hard to pretend that he was just my best friend. Everybody was so... _homophobic_  back then. The only person who knew was Peggy, she had some actual decency in her. Whenever Bucky and I got the chance, we'd spend as much time as possible together. Then we were on a mission together and Bucky-" Steve stopped, letting out a shaky breath.

Tony looked over at Steve and saw how his gloved hands were grasping the bag so tight it might rip. He felt his heart sink a little, and he felt guilty for even asking. He'd clearly hit in a nerve in Steve.

"What happened?" he questioned.

He never thought he'd be so interested in hearing Steve's story. The brunette wasn't exactly doing so well in keeping his eager interests at bay.  _This is harder than I imagined_  he thought.

"Bucky died, and it was my fault," Steve choked out.

 _Oh shit, please don't start crying_  Tony thought. Steve wiped his eyes with the palm of his hand and shook his head. He couldn't let Tony see him like this.

"We were on a Hydra train and Bucky was trying to get rid of the enemy. He got blasted by one of them, and he was hanging off a bar from the hole that got ripped open on the side of the train. I tried to grab him. I said  _‘grab my hand Bucky...grab my hand’_. But the bar gave way and he fell," Steve explained.

Tony's jaw clenched as he blinked, feeling a sting in his eyes but he drank some more of his scotch to make it stop.

"I didn't reach far enough and for that Bucky died. He was my best friend and I-" Steve whined, as he covered his eyes with his hand.

"You loved him?" Tony asked.

Steve laughed weakly.

"Yeah, I guess I did. I will, always. But...y'know, he wouldn't want me to go on holding myself back just because of him. He always told me that, he said _‘if one of us dies, we gotta' keep going, as long as we never forget each other’_ ," he mused.

"Yeah, I'm sure you'd have people lining up for you already Cap," Tony quipped.

The blonde smiled weakly, lifted his head as he let out a deep sigh. Tony put the photo frame back down and then rested his hand on Steve's back, giving it a small pat. Steve felt a spark shoot up his spine and his breath hitched in his throat.  _God dammit_  he thought.

"Hang in there Steve," Tony issued, before making his way to the door.

 _You're letting yourself go here Tony_  he thought.

"Hey, if you're hungry, I'm about to order in some Shawarma, you'll love it. Feel free to join is when you're ready. A little housewarming party won't kill anybody," he chimed.

Steve heard Tony leave and he stood up straighter, taking in a deep breath, before letting it out. He thought maybe then that he'd fit in alright now. Everybody seemed so welcoming. He pulled out some clothes and sat them on the bed, before grabbing out his sketchpad and pencils. Steve still liked to draw, and most of them were of Bucky, others of new things he'd seen in Manhattan. He wandered over to the desk, and saw a small folder sitting there. On the front it said  _'Stark House Rules'_  and Steve raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" he scoffed.

He decided he'd read it later, he just wanted to sit down for a while and think. Tony was a strange person to read. He'd get tense when Steve mentioned Howard, but anything else he'd seem interested. Maybe a little too interested. There was more to Tony than Steve actually knew.

* * *

"So if I lift it, do I get to rule Asgard?" Tony questioned.

"Yes, of course," Thor replied, chuckling afterwards.

"Oh boy, I can see this ending not so well," Natasha mused.

"Whosoever, be he worthy, shall have the power, whatever man! It's a trick!" Clint exclaimed.

"Clint, you're drunk stop talking," Natasha laughed.

Night had come around in the past few hours and the group were having their small housewarming for Steve. They had Shawarma packets and empty bottles of beer sitting on the coffee table and music played at a reasonable volume. Thor had Mjolnir sitting on the table and Tony suggested that they all try and lift it to see if there was so trick to wielding it. Steve felt settled already and it had only been a couple of hours. He'd dressed out of his suit and had a navy blue shirt on. Tony had stared at him momentarily when he wandered into the room, thinking  _'god damn those biceps'_  in the process. He'd still kept his cover so far, if he could keep doing that he knew Steve nor anyone else in that very room would catch on.

"Alright, alright let's do this," Tony issued.

He wrapped his hand around the handle of Mjolnir and gripped it tight. Tony pulled, but it didn't budge at all and he frowned.  _Oh come on there's gotta be some weird science behind this_  he thought. Steve and Thor were sitting next to each other and they smiled smugly at each other. The pair of them had hit it off fairly quickly.

"Hold on give me a minute," the brunette grumbled.

Again he tried, and failed, grunting and straining as he pressed his foot on the coffee table, which only shifted the table itself.

"Fuck," he cursed.

Thor and Steve started laughing, earning a hard glare from the brunette.

"This isn't over yet, hold on, _J_  can I get one of my gauntlets please?" he asked.

"Right away sir,"  _JARVIS_  replied.

Tony held out his arm as it came flying through the open door, narrowly missing Clint's head before placing itself over Tony's hand and forearm.

"Alright, one last try," he huffed.

He grabbed the handle again, pulling forcefully. But again, Mjolnir wouldn't budge and Steve was trying to hold back his laughter. Tony groaned in frustration as he took his gauntlet off and left it on the table.

"I give up, someone else try," he grumbled.

"Natasha, would you like to try?" Thor questioned.

"Oh no thank you, there is no way you're going to make me do that," she scoffed. "Bruce?" she hummed, looking over at the brunette who was at the dining table.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Bruce replied, with a sheepish smile.

He was the quiet one during the whole housewarming. He'd been asked to do some work by Fury, so he wasn't participating much in the shenanigans.

"Steve?" Tony asked, turning his attention to the blonde.

Steve looked back at Tony, his blue eyes staring at Tony's chocolate brown ones. They kind of reminded him of the brown colour on the walls of his room. He stood and put his beer down, pushing his sleeves up a little.

"I'll give a go," he challenged.

"Seriously if Capsicle can do this then I dunno' I'll do his damn laundry for a week," Tony joked.

"You...doing someone's laundry? I doubt it Tony," Clint laughed.

"Capsicle?" Steve sighed, resting his hands on his hips.

"Uh oh, someone's been bad," Clint drawled, drawing out the 'D'.

"Better tie me up and punish me then Captain," Tony blurted out.

Steve's eyes widened a fraction as his face went scarlet.

"Oh my god you did not just say that!" Natasha barked, throwing her head back as she burst out laughing.

A light shade of pink even managed to cross Tony's face.

"That was meant to stay inside my head, not come out my mouth," he wavered.

"Friend Stark we all make mistakes," Thor interjected.

"Not helping big guy," Tony grunted.

"It's fine, really," Steve spoke all too casually, circling his way around the table to where Mjolnir still sat.

When he passed by Tony the brunette couldn't exactly help where his eyes went, which was straight to Steve's backside. Natasha snorted loudly, before covering her mouth when Steve stared at her. She glanced at Tony and gave him a knowing smile and Tony shook his head with a frown showing on his brow.

"Shut up," he hissed, out of ear shot from the others.

Steve grasped both hands on the handle of Mjolnir and took a deep breath, before pulling. He groaned and clenched his teeth as he used his full weight on it. Tony saw the veins showing on his arms and he swallowed down the rest of his scotch.  _Holy shit_  he thought. Thor was smiling gleefully, when Mjolnir suddenly budged slightly. His smiled dropped and he looked genuinely scared shitless, until it didn't budge anymore and Steve gave up. Thor laughed in triumph.

"It moved a little!" Clint protested. "Tony that's at least four days worth of laundry work!" he exclaimed.

"I did state,  _if_  he lifted it, which means the whole thing, swinging it in his hands," Tony answered.

"I have a better theory, you're all  _not_  worthy," Thor boasted.

"Aw come on, give Steve-o some credit," Natasha snickered.

Tony rolled his eyes as he went to grab another scotch, picking up a few of the empty bottles on the way. Steve sat back down on the couch and Thor picked up his beer and held it up slightly.

"To the Captain!" he boomed.

"To Steve!" Natasha and Clint cheered in unison.

Steve smiled shyly as he clinked his beer against Thor's. Clint lent into Natasha side as she ran her fingers through his hair, taking a sip of her drink.

"Thanks for the welcome," Steve chuckled softly. "You're all pretty swell," he continued.

 _Oh god not again, dammit Rogers!_  he thought.

"I'm sorry, but I just love how he talks," Natasha confessed, smiling widely.

"Yeah, don't be ashamed of it Steve," Tony interrupted, wandering back with another scotch.

"Sorry, it's just, really unfamiliar here," Steve replied.

"Perhaps you could tell us some stories sometime Captain," Thor mused.

Steve grinned.

"If you can suffer hours of war stories, sure," he answered.

"We'll all be there to listen, with bells on," Tony added.

Natasha coughed and Clint grinned, whispering something that was just in earshot of Tony.

"Stop it," he huffed.

"So Thor, what's been happening with you?" Clint queried.

Thor sat forward as he started to talk and Steve looked over at the folder with Tony's apparent  _'house rules'_  inside them. He reached forward and grabbed it, feeling Tony's gaze set on him. But when he looked up, Tony tried to hide any evidence of even glancing at the super soldier. Steve raised an eyebrow, but looked back down at the folder and started reading.

_**STARK HOUSE RULES:** _

_**1\. No leaving a mess, only I can, if I'm in my lab.** _

_**2\. No drinking the scotch unless you ask me first.** _

_**3\. No loud music unless it's something I can suffer like AC/DC or Black Sabbath** _

_What the hell is AC/DC and Black Sabbath?_  Steve thought, as he kept going.

_**4\. No going in my lab unless authorized to do so.** _

_**5\. No going into the room down the hall, and don't even think about asking JARVIS to override the code.** _

_**6\. No changing the settings on anything in this tower, leave everything as it is.** _

_**7\. If you have problems with the tech, come and ask me, I'm the genius after all.** _

_**8\. Curfew is at 11pm, I like to lock up the tower at midnight.** _

Steve blinked once as he stared at the  _'rules'_  that were beyond ridiculous in his eyes. He felt his brow creased as he squinted at a small piece of writing in the corner.

_**P.S. Watch you don't fall in the freezer.** _

The blonde tensed, his hands suddenly scrunching the paper. Did Tony think this was a god damn joke?

"Hey Steve, what you got there?" Natasha asked.

"Stark house rules, apparently," he answered, sounding irritated and angry.

Natasha glowered at Tony.

"Tony, we don't have any house rules," she hissed.

"It was a joke," Tony laughed.

"A joke? Is everything a joke to you?" Steve asked.

"Funny things are," Tony retorted.

The pair stood up and Natasha put her beer down as Bruce's attention suddenly went to the brunette and blonde.

"Guys," Natasha soothed.

"Oh yeah? Big man in a suit of armour. Take that off, what are you?" Steve questioned.

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist," the brunette bit back.

Natasha slapped her forehead against her palm.

"I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you," Steve spat.

"I think I would just cut the wire," Tony replied.

"Always a way out... You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero," the blonde growled.

"A hero? Like you? You're a lab rat, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle!" Tony yelled.

Steve smirked.

"Put on the suit. Let's go a few rounds," he offered.

"Hey! That's enough, time out," Clint interjected, putting his arm between the two.

"Y'know, I thought you would have been more like Howard. Because he believed in things. He believed in me, when nobody else did. As well as Peggy and Bucky, they believed. Besides your brilliant mind what do you have? A huge, arrogant ego and this big ugly tower," Steve continued.

"Oh woe is me. Bucky died and you couldn't do anything about it. We can't choose when we die. And it was you who decided to plunge that plane into the Atlantic. So don't blame anybody else for you waking up here in the twenty-first century Steven Grant Rogers," Tony muttered.

"Tony!" Natasha yelled.

Steve would have gone further, but what Tony had just said punched him right in the gut. He looked like he was going to blow over any second now, but he didn't. Tony was still staring at him, but with angered eyes. The blonde looked up, his jaw set tight as he cheeked the inside of his cheek.

"I'm gonna' hit the hay," he whispered, sounding slightly choked.

"Steve wait!" Natasha called.

But Steve was already gone within seconds, his bedroom door slamming shut only minutes later. Natasha turned around and glared at Tony, her hands resting on her hips.

"What the hell was that!" she roared, throwing her hands in the air.

"Natasha, sweetheart, you should know I don't play well with others when they threaten me," the brunette mumbled.

"Tony that was out of line what you said about Steve's best friend. If you lost Rhodey how would you feel?" she asked.

Tony opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. He didn't have an answer for that. Well, he did, but he'd sound like a hypocrite if he said it.

"You were really nice to him, and then you play a joke and the you start screaming at each other," she continued.

"He could use a joke once in a while," Tony sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Tony," Natasha groaned, running her hands through her hair.

"Friend Stark, what you said it was not very friendly," Thor spoke.

"Party over then?" Clint asked.

"We don't need Captain Spangles to have a good time," Tony snorted, throwing his head back to down the rest of his scotch.

"The party is over...unless you go and apologize to Steve, right now," Natasha snapped.

Tony frowned as he put his glass down.

"I'll be down in my lab," he grunted.

The rest of the group watched Tony walk away to the elevator and Natasha shook her head, reaching down to pick up empty bottles. Clint grabbed some of the Shawarma wrappers and put his arm around Natasha's waist, kissing her on the cheek.

"You tried," he soothed, rubbing small circles on her back.

"Thanks Clint," Natasha answered, smiling softly. "We can cuddle tonight," she added.

"Bullseye!" Clint cheered.

Thor stood up then and grabbed the rest of the beer bottles, picking Mjolnir up in his hand. He stopped by the table Bruce sat at and smiled at the brunette.

"Should we talk to Steve?" he queried.

"It's probably best if we leave him alone. Tony's going to have to apologize to him, so we'll leave it to him. I think Steve needs time to cool off," Bruce answered.

"Aye, you're right," Thor hummed.

At that moment, Steve appeared in the main room again, dressed in sweatpants and a shirt. He didn't make eye contact with anybody as he walked by and Natasha went to say something but Clint held her back.

"Let him blow off steam," he whispered.

It was the only way Steve ever got over things.

* * *

Steve stayed in the gym for the entire night. He had breaks in between, thinking and reminiscing the past. Bucky always slipped into his mind and Steve would feel the sadness course through him. Tony's words kept ringing in his head now and again too. He was right, you can't choose when your end will come, but Bucky was too young and he and Steve had so many plans. The blonde sighed, he didn't want to get on Tony's bad side, that obviously hadn't worked. Steve stood up from the bench he was sitting on as he wandered back over to the punching bag. He let out a deep breath and stretched his arms a little before standing close to the punching bag. His punches were harsh and strong as he battered the bag with brute force. It was times likes these that memories flashed in his mind, and made him punch harder and harder. Sweat dropped down his forehead as he let out sharp grunts, swinging his body from side to side at each hit he paid to the punching bag.

_"Peggy knows,"_

_"You told her?"_

_"She's going to keep quiet about it,"_

_"Well at least someone has some heart,"_

_"Buck...I love you,"_

He saw Bucky's smile then, that happy, care free smile.

_"I love you too pal,"_

_"Till' the end of the line?"_

Bucky's laugh echoed in his head and a flashback of Bucky leaning in to kiss him flickered in his eyes.

_"Till' the end of the line,"_

Steve's muscles tensed tighter as tears stung at his eyes, his breath ragged and uneven. He knew what was coming next, it happened every time. And no matter how many times he tried to push it away it always hit him like a tonne of bricks.

_"Hang on!"_

He saw himself climbing on the piece of the train that had broken away.

_"Grab my hand!"_

The creak of the bar and Bucky's scream filled his ears.

_"No!"_

Steve brought his fist back and pummelled the punching bag, sending it flying across the room. The sand started draining out of the bag, making a mess, but Steve left it, for now. He walked over to the pile of punching bags and picked up another one, dragging it up to hook it back on the chain. He'd only thrown three punches when something zipped through the air, piercing the bag. Sand filled out slowly and Steve scowled as he looked up and saw an arrow embedded into the leather.

"Did you even get a wink of sleep?" a voice called, from the shadows.

The blonde turned around and saw Clint scale down from the rafters on the ceiling, his bow grasped in his hand.

"I've been asleep for seventy years, it'll be a while before I need to recharge my batteries," Steve replied.

"You're going to clean that mess up I hope, Stark will probably murder you," Clint joked.

"I think he already wanted to with what I said," Steve sighed.

"He'll get over it. He's Tony Stark," Clint chuckled.

"I shouldn't have said anything," the blonde mused.

"I'm not taking sides, but you had every right to do it. Tony really shouldn't have pulled a joke on you, considering you're still trying to get used to this whole change. He's really not a bad guy. I mean, we had nothing to do with getting your room ready," Clint explained.

Steve raised an eyebrow.

"That was all Tony?" he asked.

“Well yeah, he doesn’t know that we noticed, but we checked the shared balance we have between all of us and there was at least a thousand dollars spent towards things to go into a room, wallpaper, flooring, bed linen, lamps, a desk...everything really,” the brunette replied.

“And he did that in two hours?” Steve asked.

Clint nodded.

“It’s not usually like Tony,” he issued. “I think he really likes you...or you know, really looks up to you,”

Steve smiled softly but shook his head as he started to take the wraps of his hands.

“You saw what happened Clint. He completely turned on me. It was a joke, I should have laughed it off but I can’t. And what he said about Bucky...” he sighed.

“Bucky was your-” Clint paused, seeing Steve’s gaze fall on him.

“Secret,” Steve answered. “Y’know...what do you call it...secret lover?” he added.

“Yeah,” Clint replied.

“I taught myself to finally let go, I had Peggy there as support. Then I put that plane in the ocean. Now I’m here, even though I thought I’d never make it,” Steve explained.

Clint sat down on the bench and placed his bow beside him, leaning his elbow on his leg.

“What happened when you woke up?” he asked.

“Everything was just so... _different_ ,” Steve started, as he sat down next to Clint, resting his arms over his thighs. “I woke up and I was in this room, it looked exactly like what a room would look like back in my day. But, something just didn’t feel right. There was an old radio, the baseball game from 1941 was playing then this woman walked in and told me good morning. I asked her where I was and she told me I was in a recovery room in New York City. It still didn’t feel right and I asked her  _‘where am I really?’_  because nothing connected,” he continued, glancing at Clint briefly. “She told me she didn’t understand and then I spoke up about the game. I told her it was from 1941 because I was there and the look on her face proved everything for me. I started to get frustrated, I asked her again and she must have signalled somebody in because these two men clad in black walked into the room. So I threw them through the wall and saw that there was another door, a way out. This woman kept calling for me but I kept running, there were so many people when her voice came over some radios, they tried to get me but y’know, I’m all strength with these arms so I pushed them back. Anyway, I got out into the streets and everything wasn’t right, the skyscrapers, the billboards. I kept running and then I got stopped and Nick Fury approached me, and well...I’m here now,” he added, running a hand through his damp hair. “I grew up being a gentleman, I told her it was the baseball game that grabbed my attention when it was really herself that made me realize something didn’t fit into place,” he muttered.

“Really? Smooth,” Clint snorted.

Steve smirked a little.

“Really...her hair should have been up, it was down. She shouldn’t have been wearing a tie but she was. And she-” he paused.

Clint laughed.

“Her bra?” he questioned.

“Yeah,” Steve answered.

“Don’t be embarrassed Steve, seriously, everybody is a little more relaxed to speak their mind here,” he mused.

“So you don’t act gentlemanly to a woman?” Steve queried.

“Most men do still treat them with the respect they need, but lately some don’t. Really it annoys me,” Clint sighed.

“Natasha...you, and her...do you treat her well?” the blonde asked.

Clint nodded with a smile.

“All the time,” he whispered. “Did you treat Bucky like a gentleman?” he issued.

The super soldier laughed softly, his shoulders shaking in turn.

“Whenever we got a chance I’d tell him everything I loved about him. Those spare little moments, just to see him smile. Most of the time I didn’t see him smile because he knew we’d have to be apart. And I had to pretend I had some interest in Peggy,” he replied, smiling sadly.

“Peggy knew?” Clint hummed.

“Yeah, she always asked me how things were with Bucky. I owe her everything, I owe her for keeping the secret for so long. Even when Bucky died I still had her there to keep me going, I did it all for Buck,” Steve mused.

“I can’t believe you’re telling me all this I thought Nat would be the one to pick at your brains,” the brunette mumbled.

“Anything else you wanna’ ask me before I go back up to my room?” the blonde questioned.

Clint stood up and picked his bow back up, offering his hand to Steve, who took it gratefully.

“I’ll walk you there, I’ve got a few questions to ask,” he responded, helping Steve up to his feet.

Steve simply nodded.

“You’re a lot more interested in my stories than Tony was. He asked about Bucky and then he left,” he commented.

“Seriously?” Clint asked. “Huh, definitely not like Tony, he could literally ask questions for hours,” he added.

They stepped into the elevator as they made their way up to the main floor. Steve rested his hands on his hips as he took in deep breaths to slow his heaving chest.

“He seemed to be  _really_  interested in what I had to say about Bucky. And when I mentioned Howard he blocked me out,” Steve breathed out.

“Tony doesn’t want to be like his dad. But, I’ll let him tell you that story, if he feels like it,” Clint answered.

Steve raised a questioning eyebrow.  _Why wouldn’t he want to be?_  he thought.

“So, I have to ask, what did you mean by  _‘you saw the footage’_  when you and Tony were in each other’s faces,” Clint murmured.

“I got to see files of the people I’d be working with. That includes yourself, Natasha, Bruce, Thor and Tony. Tony’s face is pretty much all over the media so I kept seeing him around. I’m not good with the technology right now, but Phil helped me, slightly. I saw everything about what happened to Tony and I saw what he was doing. I guess it interested me a little bit, and cause he was Stark’s kid, y’know, I thought Howard was a great guy, a genius really,” the blonde explained.

“You thought Tony would be the same,” Clint issued.

“Sure I did, guess I was wrong,” Steve chuckled, looking down at the floor.

Clint raised an eyebrow.

“Is there something I should know?” he snorted.

Steve looked up and squinted his eyes slightly as they walked into the main room where the sun was shining into.

“This’ll sound strange, but, I guess over the time I spent watching Tony’s work and all that...he grew on me,” he hummed.

“You became a fan of Tony?” the brunette queried.

The blonde felt his face redden as he nodded slightly.

“Holy crap this is the best thing I’ve heard all day!” Clint exclaimed, a laugh following afterwards. “Trust me, I won’t say a word,” he continued.

As they walked down the hallway, Clint turned his head and spied the door that had a panel next to it with  _ **‘LOCKED’**_  written in bold with a red background.  _That wasn’t there before_  he thought. Steve noticed Clint stopping and he turned back, standing across from Clint.

“What is it?” he asked.

“This door, it used to be unlocked and there wasn’t a panel next to it,” Clint replied.

“Hm?” Steve answered.

“Hey _JARVIS_  can I get in here?” Clint questioned.

“I’m afraid you can’t, Mr Barton. This is strictly for Mr Stark only,”  _JARVIS_  replied.

“God damn AI pisses me off sometimes,” the brunette huffed.

“I heard that,”  _JARVIS_  issued.

“You were supposed to,” Clint retorted.

Steve barked a laugh, he was beginning to like _JARVIS_.

“ _JARVIS_  I can just shoot an arrow into that panel, or I’ll put you on shutdown mode, I know your shutdown manual,” Clint grumbled.

There was a brief pause, before the panel unlocked the door and Clint smiled with triumph.

“I believe Mr Stark will already feel betrayed by my actions,”  _JARVIS_  answered.

Steve laughed again, wrapping his arms around his torso as his ribs cramped up.

“I’m just gonna’ take a look inside Steve, just hang back,” the brunette issued.

He poked his head around the corner of the door and peered into the room. When he flicked the light on, it was dim but clear enough for him to see what was inside. There were posters on the walls, action figures in boxes, blankets, comics, pillows, kids costumes and old photographs. They all had one thing in common...it was all  _Captain America_  themed. Clint’s eyes widened as he turned the light off and then slammed the door behind him. He lent against the door and stretched his arms across it as Steve stared at him.

“Don’t ever,  _ever_  go in there,” he whispered.

“Now you just make me want to go in there,” Steve answered.

“Seriously I wouldn’t,” Clint replied.

“Clint, step aside,” Steve grunted, frowning as he rested his hands on his hips again.

Clint hesitated, but stepped aside anyway, there wasn’t any use in not following orders from Steve Rogers. The blonde opened the door and stepped fully into the room, flicking the light on again. He froze in his tracks when the room lit up, his eyes looking over everything in the room. Steve walked around, staring at everything intently, the old posters were starting to fade slightly. He stopped by a box and knelt down, opening the lid as he saw comics and vintage trading cards. His eyes darted across to more boxes, filled with more merchandise that was all him. When he stood up again he saw a photograph pinned on the wall in front of him. The super soldier plucked it off the wall and stared at it, his eyes widening a fraction. The kid in the picture looked an awful lot like a much younger-

“Tony...” Steve whispered.

He turned the picture around and sure enough scrawled on the back was  _‘Tony’s 11th Birthday Party - Superheroes and Villains’_  in neat writing. Tony was dressed up in a Captain America costume with a pretty great looking shield and a wide smile on his face. Steve couldn’t really help the smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth as he picked up a set of the trading cards. He tucked them into the pockets of his sweatpants and stood back up as he made his way back to the door. With one last look he turned the light off and then closed the door.

“ _JARVIS_ , you can lock the door again,” he spoke.

Clint was staring at him with concerned eyes, until he saw the smile playing on Steve’s lips.

“Seems Tony was a really big fan of me,” he added. “There’s old comics and everything,” he murmured.

“If anything, I’d say he still looks up to you,” Clint interjected.

“Or did,” Steve joked, his eyes filling with guilt.

“Hey, you can turn this around you know,” Clint assured him.

“How?” the blonde asked.

The brunette smiled with a knowing smile as he clapped his hand on Steve’s shoulder.

“You’ll think of something. You’re Captain _friggin’_  America,” he chuckled. “I’ll see you later, Nat and I have to run an errand,” he added.

Steve watched Clint leave before he turned away and made his way down to his room. He wanted to know why Tony would hide all of this. It was strange for Steve at first glance, but to know that someone devoted most of their childhood to having a collection of things for just one superhero. It sort of made Steve’s heart swell and the last time he felt that was with Bucky.

_“If one of us dies, we gotta' keep going, as long as we never forget each other. We gotta’ find someone new Stevie, promise me,”_

Tears welled in his eyes as he closed the door to his room and sunk down to the floor. Steve hadn’t cried for Bucky since he’d went out to make sure everybody in Hydra was dead. He hadn’t let out his emotions since he’d woken up from the ice. But he let them now, all the heartache, the loss, the grief...every little thing Steve had  _bottled up_  inside all came out at once. His hand rested over his mouth as he let out a weak sob, closing his eyes as the tears ran down his cheeks. It was the first time Steve ever felt  _true_  pain. He could have been punched, kicked, shot at and he’d take it like the strong soldier that he was. But death, especially someone who he loved, it hurt so much. But if Steve really wanted to pick himself up again he had to do what Bucky had said. If he could push his way through to do what he did, even if he ended up in the modern world. He was sure he could grant Bucky his last wish...Steve’s happiness.

* * *

Most of the team went to bed around midnight that night. They'd all come together for dinner earlier on in the evening, Tony included. The brunette didn't talk much, he seemed to still be dwelling. He did however glance at Steve once, only to dart his gaze away when the blonde looked back at him. Steve would hide the small smile behind his hand as he pretended to wipe something from the corner of his mouth. Clint would look at him every once in a while and they'd share a smirk between each other. They'd bonded over the new found secret that Tony had, but also just from Steve telling Clint stories from long ago. Steve had definitely settled in by then, he just had some amends to make with Tony. The brunette had escaped back to his lab after dinner, leaving everybody else to talk and watch TV for the next few hours. Steve could remember Clint nudging him before he went to bed, giving him a small smile.

_"Good luck,"_

Steve was going to need it. He was sitting in the lounge still, lights dimmed, his face illuminated by the TV screen. The blonde had one leg up on the sofa, the other resting over it as his bare foot rested on the plush rug. He had a scotch in his right hand, his left hand supporting his head as his elbow lent on the edge of the sofa. There was another drink, a scotch also, sitting on the coffee table, the ice falling lower as it melted. Tony had a wide range of movies stored onto the TV. And Steve had to ask  _JARVIS_  for a specific one in case the brunette didn't have it. Surprisingly he did, it made Steve laugh quietly to himself. So now he found himself, sitting alone in the room watching  _Casablanca_  play on the screen. Steve used to annoy Bucky with reciting the lines to him, but it kept Steve entertained.

_"Last night we said a great many things. You said I was to do the thinking for both of us. Well, I've done a lot of it since then, and it all adds up to one thing: you're getting on that plane with Victor where you belong,"_

_"But, Richard, no, I-I..."_

_"Now, you've got to listen to me! You have any idea what you'd have to look forward to if you stayed here? Nine chances out of ten, we'd both wind up in a concentration camp. Isn't that true, Louie?"_

_"I'm afraid Major Strasser would insist,"_

_"You're saying this only to make me go,"_

_"I'm saying it because it's true. Inside of us, we both know you belong with Victor. You're part of his work, the thing that keeps him going. If that plane leaves the ground and you're not with him, you'll regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life,"_

_"But what about us,"_

_"We'll always have Paris. We didn't have, we, we lost it until you came to Casablanca. We got it back last night,"_

_"When I said I would never leave you,"_

_"And you never will. But I've got a job to do, too. Where I'm going, you can't follow. What I've got to do, you can't be any part of. Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that,"_

Ilsa lowered her head as she began to cry and Steve choked back the lump in his throat. He unintentionally sniffled a little and wiped the corner of his eyes.

_"Now, now..."_

Richard lifted her chin up so they could look at each other. Steve knew the  _exact_  line that was coming next.

"Here's lookin' at you kid," a voice spoke.

The blonde's gaze snapped up, falling on Tony who stood by the other sofa. His hair was ruffled from obvious frustration and his eyes looked weary. But the brunette managed a kind smile as he stared back at Steve.

"My mom made me watch this movie once. And me being a typical teenager, I refused and sat with my tech in my face for hours. Finally found it in myself to watch it properly just a few months ago," he continued, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Not so bad I guess for a 1940's movie," he added.

Steve smiled softly.

"Is this your way of apologizing?" he asked.

Tony bit his lip and let out a deep sigh.

"Fine, you caught me out," he replied.

The blonde laughed.

"You're easy to read sometimes Tony," he mused.

The brunette stepped down onto the rug and approached the sofa Steve was sitting on, his hands tucked into his pockets.

"Do you mind?" he questioned, pointing to the couch.

"You're asking  _me_  if  _you_  can sit on  _your_  sofa," Steve answered, raising an eyebrow with an amused grin.

Tony felt his cheeks heat up as he pushed the cushion away and sat down.

"Sorry, I just didn't you know...want to invade your space or waste your time," he issued.

"You're not," Steve replied.

 _Fuck he said that all too casually_  Tony thought.

"I think I broke a house rule already," the blonde mused.

Tony raised an eyebrow as Steve waved the scotch in front of his face.

"Oh," Tony breathed out. "Seriously that was just a joke..." he murmured, his eyes falling to the scotch on the coffee table.

"That's for you," Steve hummed.

The brunette smiled softly and picked it up as he took a sip, before resting it on his thigh. He glanced at Steve briefly, before looking back down at his drink. The light from the TV made Steve's eyes appear brighter and Tony felt his cheeks flush again.

"I'm sorry for earlier. For what I said about Bucky. That was uncalled for. I'm sorry for what I said about you too. I mean, I gotta' give my dad some credit, for being involved in what happened to you. But the thing is, I didn't want to be like him because-" Tony paused. "He wasn't the man you used to know, Steve," he continued, looking up at the blonde then. "He was a god damn drunk when I was a kid, and I swore to myself I'd never be like that. There's been times where I got blind, but I'm trying, I  _swear_  I'm trying. I guess it's why I get so self righteous because I wanted to be a better person than Howard was," he added.

"Tony," Steve interjected.

"I don't want you to hate Howard just because of me, I mean, he must have been really good to you. And he seemed to take a shine to you really quickly," Tony sighed. "I just had it implanted in my brain that he didn't care about what I did. And he always said  _'I remember the days with Steve and he was a true hero'_  and I thought-" he stopped, looking away again as he realized what he was just about to say.

Steve shifted then as he pulled something out of his pocket. He turned the trading cards around in his hand, before placing them in the palm of Tony's hand. The brunette shifted his gaze, his eyes widening a fraction when he saw Steve's name signed in the corner.

"I'm sorry for trying to compare you to Howard. He was a great guy, but I wouldn't have known what had happened since I was gone for over seventy years. You're your own person Tony and I admire that,  _truly_ ," Steve explained, his eyes falling on Tony's wide eyes. "Clint wouldn't let it go when  _JARVIS_  said he couldn't let us into that room. Only Clint went in but the look on his face when he came out only made me curious. I'm sorry if I invaded something private. But, honestly I was a bit taken aback. Then I realized...you didn't want to be like Howard. You wanted a purpose and you wanted to grow up to be a hero too. I don't know how your thoughts are with that now but-" Steve paused.

"No, no...I-" Tony started, his breath coming out in shaky bursts. "I wanted to be like you," he admitted.

The blonde smiled and Tony shuffled closer, his knee hitting Steve's.

"I'm sorry-shit. I just...when I was a kid I always wanted to fight the bad guys and keep everybody I cared for safe. So, hearing all the stories from dad, about you, it made me believe that heroes were real. It was sad knowing you'd crashed that plane into the ocean. Knowing I'd never get to meet my childhood hero really broke me and that's when I started to get annoyed when Howard brought you up. That's when I stopped believing. I didn't stop thinking about it though, that's why I kept everything, as a reminder," he explained. "I used to stay up late and read all your comics and when I got to dress up as you for parties I felt great. Howard had old footage of you and I used to watch them over, and over again," he added, blushing a light shade of pink.

 _You and your inner fanboy Tony, fucking dammit_ he cursed to himself.

"You were jealous?" Steve asked.

"Yeah," Tony whispered, his gaze falling on the trading cards. "Now you're here and I don't know what to think anymore," he added.

The beat of his heart echoed in his ears when he felt Steve's hand rest over his and slide up to his wrist.

"When I said you need to stop pretending to be a hero I felt really guilty. I shouldn't have said that at all," Steve breathed out.

"I'm not a hero," Tony choked out.

_Beat._

"A hero is what  _you_  were...what  _you_  still are. I can't be anything like that. I'm...I-" Tony paused, feeling tears spring in his eyes.

_Beat._

"Tony listen to me..." the blonde soothed, his grip tightening on Tony's wrist. "Everybody is a hero no matter how little or how big their act is. Somebody could help an old lady cross a street and they'd be a hero because they did something good, something selfless. Somebody could give a friend support when they need it most and they'd be a hero because they were  _helping_  someone. Saving a person's life and protecting a city or a country isn't the only thing that makes someone a hero," he continued, running his thumb over Tony's pulse point.

He let a small smile curve at the corner of his mouth when he felt Tony's heart rate jump.

“And your arc reactor, that’s the symbol on your chest that people recognize so well, they know who  _Iron Man_  is by that,” he crooned, his finger brushing the arc reactor through Tony’s shirt.

_Beat._

"And let me just say that over the month I spent trying to come to grips with this whole new era, I kept watching footage of you because it made me think  _'hell there's still heroes seventy years later'_ ," Steve mused. "I admire how you work Tony," he added.

"I-" the brunette paused. "I can't think of what to say back to that," he chuckled.

Steve grinned and pulled back as he reached into his pocket again and fished out the photograph of Tony. The brunette became all flustered with embarrassment as Steve handed it to him.

"I think you'd suit my uniform better than me," the blonde joked.

Tony let out a loud laugh.

"Don't flatter yourself Cap," he cackled. "You know I made that shield myself," he added.

"Maybe I'll let you try out the real thing," Steve replied.

"Seriously?" Tony asked.

"Sure," Steve hummed.

The super soldier's hand was back on Tony's, before resting on his knee. It sent Tony's brain into overload and his heart into abnormal thuds.

_Beat._

"If there's still a small ounce of Tony Stark that admires me. And if Tony is a date kinda' fella...Captain America would like to take him out on a date," he whispered.

 _Oh fuck_  Tony thought.

"This isn't happening, this is a dream," he wavered.

 _Son of a bitch_  he cursed to himself.

"Going by the look on your face you didn't mean to say that out loud," Steve hummed.

Tony remained quiet.

"It isn't a dream, Tony," Steve soothed.

_Beat._

"But...what about Bucky?" the brunette whispered.

"It's time for me to move on, it has been seventy years _too_  long," Steve sighed softly. "I loved Bucky, and I will, always. That’s what people do. But it's what Buck would have wanted me to do," he added.

The brunette went to open his mouth again until he felt Steve's soft lips press against his. His eyes widened slightly, but closed sometime after. Tony found it in himself to kiss back, his hand gripped to Steve's arm as the blonde pulled him closer by the nape of his neck. He was  _kissing_  Captain  _fuckin'_  America and it was  _real_  and Tony could feel his heart racing rapidly. When they parted, Steve's hand still lingered on Tony's neck, and the taste on Tony's lips still lingered also.

"So is that a yes?" Steve questioned.

"Was that your first kiss since 1945?" Tony blurted out.

Steve grinned.

"Yes," he answered.

"Wow, for an old timer you aren't so bad," Tony taunted.

"I guess I'm gonna’ be stuck with the old geezer jokes for a while huh?" the blonde asked.

"I won't so much if you kiss me like that again," Tony encouraged.

"Not until you answer my question," Steve whispered.

"Ask me again," Tony hummed.

"Tony Stark, would you please consider going on a date with Captain Spangles?" he pleaded.

Tony laughed.

"You heard me say that?" he scoffed.

"Sure I did," Steve replied.

The brunette sighed, as he lent closer to Steve again.

"My answer is yes," he soothed.

Steve smiled for about the tenth time that night, leaning in as his lips brushed Tony's. Their lips met again and that time it felt  _extremely_  real to Tony.

"About friggin' time!" Clint yelled, his voice echoing from the far side of the room.

"Clint go to your room!" Tony roared, sounding like a parent as his brow creased.

There was a chuckle and then a snicker and Tony just knew Natasha was right beside Clint. He rolled his eyes and let go of Steve's arm as he rested his hand over his eyes and let his head fall back.

"They're so nosy I swear to-" he choked, his hand going slack.

Steve pressed a light kiss to his jaw and smirked against his skin, hearing Tony let out a shudder.

"Oh, you can  _definitely_  take me on a date," he breathed out.

The blonde laughed as he pushed Tony down on the couch and found his lips again, fingers curling through the brunette's hair. Tony let all his worries flood away and lost himself in Steve's tender kisses. It was definitely an unexpected ending to his night. But he was ready to try...willing even. Because Steve  _believed_  in him, and that was enough for Tony Stark.

**Author's Note:**

> Will most likely write a sequel thing to this, with the likes of Bucky coming back as The Winter Soldier and all. With Steve having the difficult choice of picking Bucky or Tony.


End file.
